Spencer Fane LLP is pleased to welcome James J. Cronin and Colin W. Turner to the firm’s Kansas City, Missouri, office as partners in the Intellectual Property (IP) Practice Group.
James and Colin provide comprehensive IP counsel to businesses across a wide range of industries, diligently advising on patent and trademark portfolio management, licensing, and technology transactions and representing clients in complex disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and trade dress. Their combined experience helps clients protect, commercialize, and defend valuable IP assets.
James works extensively within the consumer products, manufacturing, and transportation industries. In addition to portfolio management, his IP counsel includes patent and trademark prosecution and clearance and the negotiation of IP and technology agreements, including joint development, software development, and licensing agreements. He also supports the IP aspects of complex mergers and acquisitions and counsels startups on patent and licensing strategies.
Colin began his career as a full-time defense attorney for a broad array of civil litigation matters, experience which has bolstered his ability to confidently manage every aspect of his cases with high adaptability to new subject matter. He has represented clients in federal courts throughout the U.S. and before the administrative tribunals within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. His practice also includes patent and trademark prosecution and clearance.
Colin’s patent practice covers a variety of different mechanical and chemical inventions with a specific focus on consumer products and industrial processes and equipment.
“James and Colin join our IP team with robust legal experience and forward-thinking approaches to handling continuous innovation and growth,” said Julia M. Vander Weele, office managing partner for Spencer Fane in Kansas City. “We are excited to welcome them to Spencer Fane, where they can collaborate with talented colleagues here in Kansas City and across our national offices as they continue to build and refine leading IP practices.”
After completing his bachelor’s with honors from the University of Kansas, James earned his Juris Doctor magna cum laude from St. Louis University. He is heavily involved in arts-focused community initiatives, pro bono programs, and legal associations, previously serving as president of ArtsTech, a Kansas City-based nonprofit that provides urban youth an entrepreneurial business environment to advance their artistic and technological skills.
Colin earned his bachelor’s degree cum laude from the University of Arkansas and his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He also aligns with the firm’s commitment to proactivity in broader business, legal, and nonprofit communities. In addition to his external legal association involvements, he has notably volunteered for the Midwest Innocence Project, a nonprofit which investigates wrongful convictions.